The Dangers of Gossip
by EmilySamara
Summary: In which we learn that gossip can hurt. Badly. In more ways than one. But in a way, it can cause love to emerge as well.
1. The Original Conversation

"Okay, here's one. Would you rather be trapped in a room with Serra... or Karel?" Sain asked mischieviously.

It had been a long day. Matthew, Erk, and Sain were all venting out their feelings by being disrespectful to their peers, namely Serra.

"Oh, man. That's hard," Matthew breathed. "Man... I gotta think about that one..."

"That _is_ tough," Erk agreed. "I dunno... I'm almost leaning toward Karel."

"Seriously?" Sain asked incredulously. "The Sword Demon over a weak little cleric?"

"'Weak' and 'little' are _not _words that come to mind when I think of Serra," Erk said.

"But she's still a woman, no matter how..." Sain gulped. "_Frightening _she is. I'd choose her."

"Are you crazy, Sain?" Erk whispered in horror.

"Serra is an absolute _nightmare_!" Matthew said. "I think I'm gonna go with Karel!"

"You'd choose an emotionless killing machine over a harmless girl?" Sain asked Matthew. "Are _you _crazy?"

"Harmless?" Erk snorted. "She would _destroy _you, Sain! She's pretty much the worst fate a man can resign himself to!"

"Definitely going with Karel," Matthew said with a nod. "At least with him, he'd make it quick. No pain. Just boom-I'm dead. But Serra... my Lord."

"Karel? Really? _Him_... over Serra?"

Matthew and Erk looked at each other. "Uh... yeah, pretty much."

Sain rolled his eyes. "You guys are absolutely out of your minds. I'm going to bed. See ya." Sain left.


	2. Serra's Reaction

Serra stood outside the boys' tent and listened silently as they spoke of her.

"_Absolute nightmare_!"

"_The worst fate!_"

"_...frightening she is_."

Serra wanted to go in there and show those insensitive jerkfaces a piece of her mind. But... she just couldn't. She, too, was exhausted from the day's battle. She had been yelled at three times for slacking off, once by Eliwood, once by Hector, and once by Rath. Two important men and one _scary _man. She felt defeated. She would be mortified if Sain or Erk or Matthew saw her now.

With her head hung, her dress spotted with tears and her feet dragging in the ground, Serra miserably made her way back to her tent, where she wrapped her arms around her knees and cried.

Why did everyone hate her so?

"It's not fair," she mumbled. Was it too much to ask for? All she wanted was to be respected and loved and waited on and...

Well...

"Maybe it is," she mumbled. "But why do they have to be so mean?"

No one would ever love her, or care, or anything. Only Sain would even _consider _her, and that was just because he was a womanizer. He didn't _really _love her; he would just take what he could get.

No one really loved her.

...

Matthew was walking along to his tent, feeling refreshed from the Serra-bashing, when he heard some odd noises coming from Serra and Priscilla's tent. Matthew wondered if Priscilla was okay. Serra had to be involved. Priscilla probably just couldn't take living with _that _anymore.

But as Matthew entered the tent, thinking he would find a weeping Priscilla there, he instead found a sobbing Serra, looking small and sad and vulnerable.

Matthew didn't know what to do. It was as if he had just found out that Jaffar cared for orphans or worked as a healer in his spare time.

After a while, Serra looked up. Seeing Matthew's face, she gasped and burrowed her head deeper into her knees.

Matthew felt like he had a duty to comfort her, no matter how much he hated her.

"Um... hey, Serra... a-are you..."

"GO AWAY!" She shrieked suddenly, whipping up her head to glare at him. "GO AWAY, YOU NASTY, DIRTY GOSSIPER!"

"Wh-wh-wh-what?" Matthew stammered, a feeling of dread rising in his throat.

"I HEARD YOU!" Serra screamed, her cheeks flushed with rage and her eyes spilling even more tears than before. "I HEARD WHAT YOU AND ERK SAID ABOUT ME! I NEVER WANT TO SPEAK TO YOU! EVER AGAIN!" Serra's voice cracked and she started sobbing again.

Matthew felt horrible. A wave of remorse swept over him. Sure, it was fun making fun of Serra. But didn't she have feelings too?

_It's all funny until someone gets hurt_.

Matthew had always thought that that rule applied to dangerous stunting like jumping off cliffs and such. But what if it meant gossip and hurt feelings as well?

Matthew didn't know what to do. He just stayed there with her while she cried her eyes out. And all the while he felt ashamed and disgusted with himself.

After a while, Serra lifted up her head and just stared straight ahead, not looking at Matthew. Matthew wondered what she was thinking.

It struck him that her face was rather pretty. He had never seen her face all quiet and serene before. And suddenly, Matthew knew what he had to do.

With only a second's hesitation, Matthew took her chin, turned her face toward his, and kissed her.

Serra stared at him with an expression that was a mixture of shock, confusion, and anger. Then she started sniffling. From sobs to sniffles, that was good. Now to get her to smiles.

Matthew knew that the last part would take him a much longer time. But, he realized, it was worth it. Matthew now knew that past her loud, annoying, self-possessed shell, there was an insecure, lost little girl inside, waiting for someone to help her.


	3. Karel's Reaction

**Small note: what Erk is looking forward to study isn't a tome per se, it's a book about magic and how to use it. I didn't quite know how to phrase it.**

Karel couldn't believe his ears.

"_I'm almost leaning toward Karel_."

"_At least with him, he'd make it quick_."

Did these little... _urchins_... know who they were talking about? Himself, Karel, the Sword Demon, the slayer of thousands. And they were comparing _him_... to a weak little girl? Saying that _she_... was more dangerous and frightening than _him_?

Karel's face remained emotionless as always, but inside, he was angry. And when Karel got angry, it was bad news for someone. Erk, in this case, because he had seen Matthew shooting death glances at Jaffar. He wouldn't want to steal the joy of murdering one's rival from Jaffar.

From behind the tent, Karel heard Sain leave. Then Matthew, and finally Erk.

Showtime.

...

The effects of the carefree conversation faded almost immediately for Erk. He sighed and chastised himself for allowing himself to join in the silly, idle chatter, no matter how... fun it was, he thought with just a hint of longing.

Erk brightened as he thought of something; Lord Pent had recently lent him new book of magic, and he was looking forward to reading it. He hurried on towards his tent, eagerly anticipating a long night of study. He rolled his eyes as he thought of what Serra had said to him when he'd confided in her his love of reading and study.

"_Oh, yeah_!" The loud, talkative cleric had said mockingly. "_Let's get pumped for a long, fun, wild night of STUDYING! Whoooo!_"

Oh, how he hated her.

Sometimes, however, Erk just had to wonder-was Serra really that carefree and naïve, or was there more to her? Was there tragedy lurking behind that annoying persona? Or was it possible that she was simply that shallow?

Erk was so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he didn't notice a silent, shadowy figure stalking him-until Erk found himself on the ground with a blood-red blade at his throat.

"You. Mage."

"Wh-who are you? What is your business here?" Erk asked bravely, even as the stranger pressed the sword closer against Erk's neck.

"I am Karel. My business is none of your business." Karel leaned in closer. Erk gulped. He had almost never seen the Sword Demon from a distance before, let alone this close to Erk. He had certainly never seen Karel's malice-filled golden eyes this close-up before.

There were horrible stories about Karel that circulated around the camp. He had killed his entire family, excepting his sister Karla, to gain sole possession of the Wo Dao, which he now held at Erk's throat. He had slain an army of a thousand men... alone. And now his face was two inches away from Erk's face, and Karel looked angry.

"What have I done to you? Let me go!" Erk squeaked out somehow, grudgingly forsaking his pride for his safety.

Karel leaned in so close that their faces were almost touching. "Do you truly wish to be locked in a room alone with _me_?"

So he had heard their conversation. That was it. Karel had been offended by Erk's lack of fear of him. In Karel's mind, however, unfortunately for Erk, the price of disrespect towards the Sword Demon might be Erk's life.

"N-no, sir," Erk whispered. "I-I would rather be with Serra. Really." He gulped. "Please don't kill me," he whispered.

Karel kept his sword at Erk's throat for what seemed like hours before sheathing it and allowing Erk to stand.

"Good. Because if you _were _locked in a room alone with me, you'd be dead quicker than you can say 'sorry.'" And just like that, the Sword Demon walked away.

Erk's face felt hot. His heart was beating so fast it was making him dizzy. He had also been forced to swallow his pride... something the self-possessed mage would _never _have done under any different circumstances.

After his legs turned solid again, Erk began slowly walking back to his tent. His legs still felt jellylike, and his brain still felt like mush. And the funny part was, Erk now realized that he would indeed prefer to be locked in a room alone with Serra. In fact, if it meant being away from the murderous Karel, he would have begged to be alone with the irritating pink-haired cleric.

Besides, if he was alone with her, maybe he could try to get her to break out of her supposed shell.

**Hmmm... mixed feelings about this one. Give me feedback!**


End file.
